by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

With the NHL lockout now 73 days old, here are 10 story lines to follow to give you a taste of the game:

1. Boston Bruins center Tyler Seguin is rocking the Swiss League with 20 goals in 20 games, looking very much like a player ready to take his game to another level in the NHL.

2. The leading scorer in the American Hockey League is defenseman Justin Schultz, who was signed by the Edmonton Oilers to be the missing piece defenseman the team has been seeking. Schultz has 10 goals and 18 assists in 18 games. Oilers star Jordan Eberle is second in the scoring race with 11 goals and 15 points for 26 points.

3. U.S.-born defenseman Seth Jones, son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, has had a strong start with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League to cement his place as a candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2013 NHL draft. "I have not seen a unique defenseman like him since (Chris) Pronger," said former NHL general manager Craig Button.

4. Coach Jerry York, whose Boston College team is ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY /USA Hockey College Magazine college poll, needs just one win to tie Ron Mason's NCAA record of 924 coaching wins. BC plays archrival Boston University Friday and Saturday in a home-and-home series televised by NBC Sports Network.

5. Forward Damien Brunner, penciled in to play for the Detroit Red Wings this season, is leading the Swiss League with 15 goals and 23 assists for 38 points.He's playing for EV Zug on a line with Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg. That duo presumably will play together in Detroit.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect defenseman Morgan Rielly and Boston prospect Dougie Hamilton both look like they are ready to step into the NHL. Riely has a Scott Niedermayer vibe, while Hamilton is a 6-4 mobile defenseman. Rielly has 22 points in 24 games for Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League, and Hamilton has seven goals and 34 points for Niagara Falls in the Ontario Hockey League.

7. Pittsburgh native Riley Barber, a Washington Capitals sixth-round pick, is leading the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in scoring as a freshman at Miami. Former NHL player Danton Cole, who coached Barber in the U.S. National Team Development program, has been quoted as saying he believes Barber has a good chance to be a pro because he has a high compete level and a willingness to play physical.

8. Alexander Barkov is now pushing Jones and Nathan MacKinnon to be the No. 1 pick next summer. Barkov just turned 18 and he is among the scoring leaders in the Finnish Elite League.

9. Edmonton's Taylor Hall is ready for the NHL season to start. He had a goal and eight assists for nine points in three games for Oklahoma City. He was named AHL player of the week.

10. Former NHLer and current NBC analyst Ed Olczyk's son, Tommy, is captain of the newly launched Penn State Division I program. The team is off to a 6-5 start.